As Jannik Sinner etched his name in history with his triumph over Casper Ruud in the blockbuster Italian Open final, his loved ones cheered him on from the sidelines at the Foro Italico. However, it was his mother’s animated and emotional gestures that captured the world No. 1’s attention most during the battle.
How Jannik Sinner Reacted to His Mother’s Stress During the Italian Open Final
Although Casper Ruud made a promising start to the showdown by taking a 2-0 lead, the Italian was quick to regroup and level the score before securing a crucial break to clinch the opening set. He carried that momentum into the second set by breaking Ruud’s serve early and cruising to a 6-4, 6-4 victory in 1 hour, 44 minutes.
With his triumph, the 24-year-old joined Novak Djokovic in an exclusive club, becoming only the second man to complete the Career Golden Masters. He also clinched his sixth consecutive ATP Masters 1000 title and followed Rafael Nadal as the only other player to sweep all three clay-court Masters in a single season.
Sinner celebrated his incredible feat with his parents, brother Mark, and girlfriend Laila Hasanovic showering him with support from the stands. Although the Italian achieved a comfortable victory, he still put his mother, Siglinde, through an emotional rollercoaster, with cameras capturing her stressed reactions in the stands.
During an appearance on “Che Tempo Che Fa” after his victory, Sinner was asked about his mother’s anxious gestures throughout the final. He revealed that the difficult part was being able to see her expressions from the court.
“Your mom was watching the whole match with her hands in her face,” the host said.
“The problem is that I could see it from the court too,” Sinner responded.
The 24-year-old, who has often spoken about his mother’s habit of leaving the stands when matches become too stressful for her, also humorously admitted that her staying till the end was a miracle. His remark was understandable, since his mother had walked out midway through his semifinal clash against Daniil Medvedev, unable to watch his physical struggles.
“It’s already a miracle that my mother has stayed,” he said.
MORE: Jannik Sinner Proved Right As His Mother Abandons Tense Italian Open Semifinal Amid His Struggles
Sinner has disclosed that his immediate focus after his Rome campaign is rest and recovery. During his postmatch press conference, the Italian said he wants to spend some quality time with his family before heading to Paris to begin preparations for the French Open.
“Yeah, no, the main priority is to recover as much as I can in the next two, three days. There is not going to be a lot of training, for sure. Tennis, zero. Physical, we need to see. I want to be a little bit with my family, as well, in this moment. Switching off on tennis, then from Thursday on I think I will be there in Paris. Prepare and we see how it goes. Yeah, look, now it’s important to rest,” he said.
Jannik Sinner will enter the clay-court Major as the top seed, with the aim of winning his maiden Roland Garros title and completing the Career Grand Slam. The Italian fell just short of the crown last year, suffering a heartbreaking loss to Carlos Alcaraz in the final. However, with Alcaraz sidelined due to a wrist injury and his stellar clay swing, Sinner will fancy his chances of redemption.
